Watchdog: E-cigarettes 'not got enough' to go unregulated

Jeremy Mean, the MHRA’s manager of vigilance and risk management of medicines, said:

Reducing the harms of smoking to smokers and those around them is a key Government health priority.

Our research has shown that existing electronic cigarettes and other nicotine containing products on the market are not good enough to meet this public health priority.

Some NCPs are already licensed and the Government's decision to work towards medicines licensing for all these products is designed to deliver quality products that will support smokers to cut down and to quit.

The decision announced today provides a framework that will enable good quality products to be widely available.

It’s not about banning products that some people find useful, it’s about making sure that smokers have an effective alternative that they can rely on to meet their needs.